2000
#6,842
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,527
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.68
Rare Last name
Hunsaker
An English occupational surname referring to a goose hunter or a seller of geese.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,760 Americans carry the last name Hunsaker. That puts it at #6,497 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 59,506 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hunsaker surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
5.8K
1 in 59,506
Census rank
#6,497
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,023 bearers of the surname Hunsaker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6497th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hunsaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hunsaker
The surname "Hunsaker" is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "hundesacker," which translates to "dog's field." It is believed to have originated in the 14th century and was likely initially used as a descriptive name for someone who lived near or owned a field where dogs were kept or trained.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various German genealogical records from the 15th and 16th centuries, with variations in spelling such as "Hundesacker," "Hundesecker," and "Hundsecker." These early records indicate that the name was concentrated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname "Hunsaker" was Hans Hundesecker, born in 1492 in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria. He was a respected baker and served as a member of the town council during the mid-16th century.
In the 17th century, the name began to appear in other parts of Europe as German families migrated to different regions. Peter Hundsecker, born in 1643 in the village of Ittlingen, Baden-Württemberg, was among the first known individuals to carry the name outside of southern Germany. He was a farmer and vintner who played a role in the local wine industry.
As the name spread across Europe, variations in spelling and pronunciation continued to emerge. In the Netherlands, for example, the name took on the form "Hondsakker," while in Switzerland, it was often written as "Hundsacker."
One notable figure with the surname "Hunsaker" was Johann Georg Hundsecker, born in 1712 in the town of Ingolstadt, Bavaria. He was a renowned clockmaker and inventor, credited with developing several innovative timepiece mechanisms that were widely used throughout Europe in the 18th century.
Another prominent individual was Anna Maria Hundsecker, born in 1767 in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. She was a celebrated artist and painter, known for her intricate portraits and landscapes that captured the beauty of the Black Forest region.
As German immigrants began to settle in North America in the 19th century, the name "Hunsaker" became more common in the United States and Canada. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname in America was Jacob Hunsaker, born in 1812 in Pennsylvania. He was a farmer and pioneer who later moved west, settling in the Utah Territory in the mid-1800s.
Throughout the centuries, the surname "Hunsaker" has continued to be carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, with many contributing to various fields such as agriculture, industry, arts, and sciences. While the name may have evolved from its humble beginnings as a descriptive term, it has become a proud part of many family histories and cultural heritages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hunsaker
Among Census respondents with the surname Hunsaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hunsaker bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Hunsaker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 4,601
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 194
- Two or more races2.9% · 147
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 21
- Black or African American0.4% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hunsaker
Hunsaker appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#6,623
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,114
+587 bearers (+13.0%)
Per 100,000 1.73
Rank movement Up 219 places
2020
#6,497
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,023
-91 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.68
Rank movement Up 126 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,842 | 4,527 | 1.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,623 | 5,114 | 1.73 | +587 bearers (+13.0%) | Up 219 places |
| 2020 | #6,497 | 5,023 | 1.68 | -91 bearers (-1.8%) | Up 126 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Hunsaker surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,623 | #6,497 | 1.9% |
| Count | 5,114 | 5,023 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.73 | 1.68 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hunsaker bearers went from 5,114 to 5,023 (-1.8% change). The surname moved up 126 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,623 to #6,497.
FAQ
Hunsaker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hunsaker?
Name Census estimates that about 5,760 living Americans carry the surname Hunsaker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 59,506 residents.
How common is Hunsaker?
Hunsaker ranks #6,497 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,023 people with the surname Hunsaker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,760), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Hunsaker.
Has Hunsaker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hunsaker went from 5,114 recorded bearers to 5,023. That is a decrease of 91 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,623 to #6,497.
What does the Census say about the background of Hunsaker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hunsaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hunsaker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (4,601 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hunsaker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (2.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Hunsaker (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Hunsaker mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a goose hunter or a seller of geese. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Hunsaker (1.68 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Hunsaker?
If you just want to know how many people are called Hunsaker, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.